Officials optimistic over latest snowpack numbers

SACRAMENTO  Water managers from San Diego County to Silicon Valley are toasting California’s latest snowpack numbers.

“Today’s snow survey offers us some cautious optimism as we continue to play catch-up with our statewide water supplies,” Sue Sims, chief deputy director of the state Department of Water Resources, said Friday.

The measurement report came in at 115 percent of normal, compared with 61 percent at this time last year.

“We are still looking at the real possibility of a fourth dry year. Even if California is blessed with a healthy snowpack, we must learn to always conserve this finite resource so that we have enough water for homes, farms and businesses,” Sims said.

While major reservoirs’ water levels remain low, there’s room for optimism. Shasta is most bountiful — at 82 percent of normal for this time of year. Oroville came in at 50 percent and Folsom was 61 percent of normal.

Water managers realize that much more rain and snow are needed to bring reservoirs up to the average benchmark. They also remember that court-ordered environmental restrictions will still divert billions of gallons to fish and away from farms and cities. And there’s no guarantee the storm window won’t slam shut abruptly.

“We have a pretty big hole to fill after three years of dry weather,” said Tim Quinn, executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies. “We’re still only average, or just a little bit better.”

What happens in February and March will be important, said David Rizzardo, snow survey chief for the state Department of Water Services.

“What really matters is where we’re at April 1,” he said.

Currently, California is two-thirds of the way to where it should stand on April Fool’s — the water world’s unofficial end of winter.

A deeper snowpack, which later feeds key waterways as it melts, and more abundant reservoirs could increase the supply available for the state to send to water districts. On Dec. 1, California’s water officials had issued a record-low initial distribution forecast of just 5 percent of its normal deliveries.

San Diego County residents have been responding to the water shortage. In 2006-2007, per-capita water use was 185 gallons a day. In 2008-2009, even before most of the rationing mandates kicked in, usage dropped to 164 gallons.

But those numbers “don’t tell the whole story,” said Ken Weinberg, director of water resources for the San Diego County Water Authority.

He stressed that heat, rainfall and the economy play a role in determining how much is sprinkled on lawns or used in high-rise offices.

Also, previously released reports suggest that some of the downward spiral stems from sharp cuts in use by the region’s farmers.

The water authority estimates that 2010 consumption will match the 1991 level, even though the county’s population has swollen by 617,000, or by 25 percent, in that time.

Aside from drought, pumping restrictions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta have led to fallowed farmland and idled workers.

But water managers agree that it’s an exaggeration to pin all of the blame on those measures, which are meant to safeguard delta smelt and salmon. Last year, just a third of the overall reduction in California’s water supply could be linked to pumping restrictions.

Until late last year, compromise proved elusive on ways that lawmakers might respond to the state’s water challenges.

The Legislature has placed an $11 billion bond measure on the November ballot. The San Diego County Water Authority and other water districts have endorsed the initiative, but the chances for voter approval remain unclear.